Wrench



N M d 1. l o e A. MULLER WRENGH.

; No. 541,668. Patented June 25, 1895.

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UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

ADAM MLLER, OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Nav-541,668, dated. June 25, 1895.

Application tiled July 2l, 1894. Serial Nol 518,185. (No model.)

Zo all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that I, ADAM MLLER, of Tallingford, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to an improvement in wrenches and more particularly to that class of wrenches commonly 1 known as tapwrenches in which a pair of movable jaws for gripping the head of the tap are caused-to move toward and away from one another to suit different sized heads.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view, partially in section, of the wrench, the cap-plate being removed to show the operating parts more clearly. Fig. 2 is an under side view of the topplate. Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section taken about centrally through the wrench -head in the plane of the axes of the handle; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the wrench-head, aken at right angles to the section shown in ig. 3. s

The wrench which I have chosen to illusf trate my invention is of the double ratchet type, and the movable jaws for gripping the head of the tap are mounted in the ratchet disk.

The head of the wrench, denoted by A, is provided with a circular cavity in which is fitted, in rotary adjustment, a disk B having on its exterior ratchet teeth h for engaging the spring actuated pawls C, C which may be provided in any well known or approved manner with means for holding the one or the' other of them out of engagement with ,the teeth on the disk B to reverse the ratchet effeet of the wrench. In the presentA instance I have shown a collar c provided with a prob2 along the sides of the opening b', whichof the opening b'.

ways may be formed by circular .pins inserted partly in grooves in the sides of the movable jaws and partly in grooves formed in the walls Within a circular, undercut recess h3 in thevface of the disk B, I locate a pair of curved wedges E, E in position to be forced between the outer ends of the movable jaws D, D and the wall of the undercut recess b3. The wedges E, E are operated by a circular cap plate F located within the cavity in the head A in proximity to one face ot' the disk B and having extended through itand into the heels of the wedges operating screws e, e. The wedges E, E-when in positionare partially covered by the outer wall of the undercut recess b3 and the screws e, e work loosely within the cap plate and have a screwthreaded engagement with the wedges so that, while serving to rock the plate and hence the wedges, when they are slightly loosened, they serve at the same time to clamp the wedges in position by screwing them up and thereby drawing the wed ges toward the cap plate into Vfrictional contact with the upper wall of the undercut b3. y

The gripping jaws D D are forced toward each other to diminish the opening between their gripping ends by means of the advance of the circular wedges between their outer ends and the disk and the said gripping jaws are separated from one another to increase the openingbetween their gripping ends by means of cam grooves fj in the under side of the cap plate F, which grooves engage studs f2, f3 projecting from the faces of the jaws D, D. The cam grooves operate upon the jaws to separate them simultaneously with the with- :dr'awal of the wedges from between their outer ends and the disk B.

The disk B may be conveniently held in its pesition in the headAby a rim a2 which projects slightly over the edge of the disk. One of the handles a is made removable by a dovetailed connection a3 with the head, so that the wrench may be operated by one handle where the space is too limited for utilizing the-two.

What I claim is j l. A wrench, comprising a head, a handle,

gripping jaws mounted'in the head to move IOO extending through the rocking cap plate into engagement with the curved Wedges for mov-` ing and locking the Wedges, the Cap plate and the jaws being provided, the one with projections and the other with grooves adapted to engage the projections for separating the jaws as the Wedges are withdrawn, substantially as set forth.

2. A Wrench, comprising a head, a handle, gripping jaws mounted inthe head to move toward and away fromeach other having studs or projections thereon, curved wedges for sliding the jaws toward one another, a rocking cap plate having cam grooves therein for engaging the studs on the gripping jaws, to slide the jaws away from each other and operating screws extending through the rocking cap plate into engagement with the wedges for moving and locking them in their adjusted positions, substantially as set forth:

ADAM MULLER. Witnesses:

CHAS. PADEN, ANDREW W. BILLIAN. 

